The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), wants Parliamentarians to focus on ensuring an overall sense of security for the general populace rather than themselves.

Members of Parliament (MP) have reignited their calls to be detailed with 24-hour police protection.

It followed an armed robbery attack on Nhyiaeso MP, Kennedy Kankam at his Kumasi residence.

But, Executive Director of ACEPA, Dr. Rasheed Dramani in a Citi News interview said, the state of insecurity in Ghana must be solved from its root and not only at the legislative level.

“We have to look at the security of the state in general. We are all at risk today and our Members of Parliament and policymakers should be concerned about the insecurity that is engulfing all of us. For me, I think this is what should occupy the minds of our MPs other than saying this is a democracy of the elites. I think it should be a system that benefits all of us and not perhaps secludes one group of people and give them protection and leave the rest of us to hang.”

The Minority in Parliament want the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to provide an investigative report on what it describes as an unfortunate incident.

“We need to know from the Inspector General of Police what the report on Kennedy Kankam is. What is the source and motivation? We need to probe it further and I think the Minister of Interior is capable of getting his men in the area to tell us. This is to guarantee further the safety and security of Members of Parliament.”

MPs call for enhanced security impossible – Fritz Baffour

Also, a former Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Fritz Baffuor, has kicked against renewed calls by Members of Parliament to have an around the clock police detail.

The former Ablekuma South MP, who served as Minister for Information and Tourism, argued in a Citi News interview that the associated cost of the demands being made by the Parliamentarians is rather too high.

He therefore urged the MPs to consider an alternative arrangement.

“The thing is for us to resource the police force and make it more proactive so that they can patrol and keep an eye on VIPs. What parliament should sit down and do is to think of how they can have some kind of security men paid for by either parliament or from their salaries. We don’t have the resource to put police officers at the beck and call of our MPs.”